Top 6 PCB Design Tools and Techniques

Finding the best PCB design tool for a project could be difficult as there are so many PCB design tool in the market.  It is difficult to start buying each one, installing them and testing them. To help you make a choice, we have done our research, and we shall show you the six best PCB design tools in the market.

While making our selection, we took note of the fact that some tools will work better for some PCB projects than others. All the tools on this list are intuitive, and they come with useful features. We also selected the best PCB design tools with large libraries that can work for multiple projects. Here they are:

1. Altium Designer 18 :

Altium is a company that specializes in producing software for engineers. Their PCB design tool, ‘Altium Designer 18’ is considered the best by engineers in the industry. Their software is easy to use, effective and comes with a robust library. There is a free trial available for the software. Other features of Altium Designer 18 are:

• Smooth design automation
• It allows users to focus on creative aspects of workflow
• Unlimited engineering reach
• Designs can be verified in the mechanical world
• Trusted design assets can be centralized
• It has innovative technologies that allow users to focus more on design and less on process
• It is great for collaborative efforts

2. Ultiboard :

Ultiboard is a PCB software designed by National Instruments, an internationally known engineering company. The software can be combined seamlessly with other software and modular hardware from National Instruments. If you use a lot of National Instruments products, then this PCB design tool is good for you. There is a free evaluation period available for the software. The features of Ultiboard are:

• PCB design can be done faster with automation
• It integrates smoothly with Multisim
• You can use the same environment for PCB layout, circuit schematics and SPICE simulation
• You save lots of development time with Ultiboard

3. Proteus :

Proteus is a PCB design tool from Labcenter Electronics. It is easy to use and comes with a lot of powerful features. Proteus comes with a standard shape based autorouter. The price varies according to design level and scale. The major features of Proteus are:

• Various design levels and scales available allowing engineers to pay for what they want.
• Neat, unobtrusive user interface
• Over 800 microcontrollers variants available
• Professional PCB layout tool
• It has ARES PCB layout program and schematic capture.

4. Eagle PCB :

Eagle PCB is a tool by Autodesk. It is an easy to use PCB design tool that offers 3D design and engineering. There is a free trial available. The payment plans are subscription based payable monthly or yearly.

• The escape ball grids arrays in mere seconds
• Smart PCB layout tools for bringing designs to life
• Routing engine with modern PCB routing tools
• Schematic tool that is easy to use
• Accessible library content with ready to use libraries

5. SOLIDWORKS PCB :

SOLIDWORKS PCB is a powerful PCB design tool that can be integrated seamlessly with SOLIDWORKS CAD. This PCB tool is a one of a kind tool that merges PCB and CAD together. You’ll need to contact the company to get a quote. The features of SOLIDWORKS PCB are:

• Smooth integration with SOLIDWORKS CAD
• Nice, easy-to-use interface
• Fast completion of PCB designs for continuation of product design workflow

6. Easy-PC PCB :

Easy-PC PCB is a PCB design tool that is scalable and relatively inexpensive. This is one reason why a lot of engineers and teams go for Easy-PC PCB. The price of a Easy-PC PCB license varies according to the number of pins. The features of Easy-PC PCB are:

• 3D preview
• Reuse of design
• Fully Integrated autorouters
• Library creation wizard
• Library management tools
• Project versioning is done automatically
• Shape-based copper pour
• Dedicated customer support service
• Creation of PCB design without schematic
• Easy to use

Conclusion :

If you have a PCB project, you can use any of the best PCB design tools listed above for your project.  

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